From 1948 to 1975, David Astor transformed Britain’s oldest paper into a vibrant, intelligent weekly renowned for its progressive campaigns and the quality of its writing. The author of a new biography recalls some of Astor’s achievements• Click here to read an extract on Astor’s lifelong interest in psychoanalysisDavid Astor was in his mid-30s and recently demobbed when, in 1945, he began to work full time on his family newspaper. Although he had long been the heir-apparent, his father, Waldorf Astor, felt that he needed more experience before becoming the editor of the Observer: he was made the foreign editor, while Ivor Brown, an old-fashioned man of letters, given to writing books about cricket and the theatre, held the fort as acting editor.Cyril Dunn, later to report for the paper from India and South Africa, joined the Observer in 1947 and quickly realised that “David Astor was in total control of what was going on and Ivor Brown was making no attempt to disguise his figurehead status” and that “what I witnessed were the birth pangs of an Observer sensationally different from anything in its own past and a paper unique and wonderful in western journalism as a whole”. Astor was singlemindedly converting a conservative, rather frowsty newspaper into a non-party paper of the centre-left, famed for the quality of its writers: it would combine support for the postwar welfare state with a belief in free enterprise and the mixed economy, anti-communism and Atlanticism... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2016-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Leeds-born novelist whose work included poetry and short stories as well as his bestselling thrillers will be remembered as a master of plot and characterThe crime writer Peter Robinson has died aged 72, his publisher has announced.The Yorkshire-born author died suddenly on the 4 October... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-10-07 11:56:17 UTC ]
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Deep declines in adult nonfiction and juvenile categories and only a small gain in adult fiction resulted in a 9.6% drop in print sales last week compared to a year ago. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The decline in unit sales slowed in the third quarter as adult fiction sales soared, but sales are still down for the year so far. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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David Ulin talks with Lynne Tillman about "Mothercare," her memoir on managing her mother's decline — just as he begins a similar journey. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-09-29 13:00:09 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books declined 4.2% last week as good debuts in adult fiction were not enough to offset declines in adult nonfiction and children's fiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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These first-time authors are out to prove that life experience and hindsight are advantages when it comes to crafting riveting stories for teens. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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‘She saw and felt things us ordinary mortals missed,’ her agent says of Booker prize-winning author who died on Thursday• Hilary Mantel remembered: ‘She was the queen of literature’• ‘The pen is in our hands. A happy ending is ours to write’: Hilary Mantel in her own wordsThe Booker... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-09-23 11:29:23 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books dropped 2.3% in the week ended Sept. 17, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Soft sales in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories offset a 12.1% increase in sales of adult fiction, leading to a 2.3% drop in unit sales of print books last week compared to the week ended September 18, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In Deanna Raybourn’s thriller “Killers of a Certain Age” four assassins on the brink of retirement get a chance to show their stuff one more time Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-09-13 12:00:30 UTC ]
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Near summer's end in the Northern Hemisphere, NPD's Kristen McLean sees the US market 'bucking uncertainty in the wider economy.' The post NPD BookScan: US Print Book Market Shows a ‘Strong August Performance’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-09-13 00:21:46 UTC ]
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“Life’s Work” is a memoir of outrageous youth, creative obsessions and ruinous habits. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-09-12 15:07:05 UTC ]
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Increases in adult fiction and young adult were not enough to offset declines in the adult nonfiction and juvenile categories, resulting in a 2.4% decline in unit sales of print books last week compared to 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-08 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books for the week ended Aug. 27, 2022, were flat compared to the similar week in 2021 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books pulled off a rare feat last week: sales were flat with the week ended August 28, 2021. The achievement was due to another week of solid sales increases in adult and young adult fiction and only a small decrease in sales of adult nonfiction. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-09-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Overall unit sales of print books declined 3.7% in the week ended Aug. 20, 2022, from the comparable week in 2021, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan, even as adult fiction sales rose 17%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A 17% increase in sales of adult fiction was not enough to prevent print book sales from declining 3.7% last week compared to the week ended August 21, 2021. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s a quick look at some notable books—new titles from Emma Donoghue, Ella King, Abdulrazak Gurnah, and more—that are publishing this week. Want to learn more about upcoming titles? Then go read our most recent book preview. Want to help The Millions keep churning out great books... Continue reading at The Millions
[ The Millions | 2022-08-23 09:59:43 UTC ]
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Unit sales of print books dipped 2.9% in the week ended Aug. 13, 2022, from the comparable week last year, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-08-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
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